Monday, April 30, 2012

It's no secret that I hate this weather. I've been complaining about it over and over - sorry, by the way - and it's been more unpredictable than ever. Well... I'm now officially on strike. I decided to battle against it. First order of business? Showing my toes. Hell, yeah. It's april, it's only fair! So, I took out for a stroll my new Zara sandals that had been patiently waiting for a month now to be taken out to play. And play they have. I know they are very popular amongst bloggers and the public in general, and some might argue lack of originality, but oh my, the comfort they bring to my feet is priceless. In fact, the thought of getting more colors has been very, VERY tempting.

I have to confess that the bright side to this crappy weather is that it's an opportunity to squeeze every last bit I can out of my autumn/winter wardrobe. Hence my snake leggings. Paired with a green parka vest, the best of both worlds, baby. I have to stop getting khaki stuff, seriously. Me and my daddy issues.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

I love shorts! tralalalala... YES! I'm only teasing, I know I've said it like a thousand times. A little sense of humor, please. Well, my latest obsession, infatuation, crush and oh-so-wonderful delight is Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's look for Coachella and her over the top, stunning J Brand/Christopher Kane shorts. Styled to perfection (at least to my taste) with a crisp white shirt, nude bikini top and booties. What more can you ask for? Oh yeah, the fact that her legs are endless also helps, DUH. So, hopelessly inspired, this is my ode to wonderful shorts that scream originality and make a statement. If I had to choose, it would be a painful torture. I want them all!

Friday, April 27, 2012

Let me introduce you to my new favorite pair of jeans. I'll probably get sick of them very soon since I can't stop wearing them, but right now that seems highly unlikely. We saw the tie dye trend post a few days ago, and I mentioned that I liked it on denim much better. Well, these jeans are the reason why - and a cool pair of shorts that I'll wear as soon as the weather agrees. I think they go great with everything since they are much more subtle than other prints. I decided to pair them with a black top and a safari jacket (although I'm not lying, I've tried every permutation this week). I feel as if they're gonna beg for mercy soon!

It's finally Friday and it just so happens that I'm in so much pain right now. I attempted a 5 day streak on the gym since next week I'll hardly set foot on the premises, and even though I got through it, I'm now paying the price. Screw the Bikini 2012 effort. Enjoy your weekend... I'll be working, arrrg.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

The H&M Fashion Against AIDS collection has finally arrived in Spain today. It is found in selected stores (specifically the ones that have the Divided Section). I already took a stroll and found a few things, although it's selling pretty fast. This is a small capsule collection with a great cause behind it, filled with ethnic and Africa-inspired prints and an overall festival feeling.

The garments are filled with fringes, bold prints and colors, tie dye and statement drawings. It is a very fun, fresh and young collection, with a lovely price range (hardly anything is over 30€). It screams freedom, but with a leveled head. So go ahead, kiss whomever you like.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Meet Lolo! My "nephew" and sort of godson. Isn't he the cutest? He actually belongs to my amazing photographer friend who helps me out a lot with this blog. Rocío, thank you for all you do! Well, Lolo and I went for a lovely sunday stroll, he's getting so big already, even has strength to pull me and everything. I was wearing the famous and seen-throughout-all-blogs maxi skirt from Zara, nothing new, but I still love it. It was quite windy and I've been with an on and off cold, so I keep wearing huge scarves around my neck. I like this look overall, with the sneakers. Perfect for a lazy day.

Color Truth Cream Eyeliner by HIP. This is a painful topic for me, since HIP (High Intensity Pigments) by L'Oreal has been discontinued, leaving me heartbroken and buying all the final supply from Ebay. But I won't lie and make up another story of what I use. I've been addicted to this since I first tried it and it quickly substituted my kohl pencil eyeliner back in the mid 2000s. And YES, I've been into black eyeliner my whole life, maybe it's the Claudia Cardinale girl crush, the fact that I want to feel like I belong in a Fellini movie... I don't know, but way before the recent eyeliner madness I have been perfecting for years my technique (trust me, takes a lot of work). Ok, back to HIP. I've tried others since it's so hard to find in Spain and I can tell you that none of them lasts as long throughout the day as this creamy paste. Since my addiction has an expiration date, I will probably go back to MAC or a professional one from Harpo... or maybe browse again for a new brand. Sniff.

Tips. Your brush is CRUCIAL to a good application. I use one from MAC that I customized myself cutting it to make it more slanted. To me, this is the better option. Also, be sure that you close the lid very tight on the bottle or it will dry up. If this happens, microwave it (yes, microwave) without the lid, of course, for 3-5 seconds. Do not overheat. Then stir to make it creamier. Finally, be patient: creating a perfect line takes so much practice, and even with that, if you're like me and have a lazy eye, they will never be perfectly even. But imperfections are beautiful as well.

Anubis Aromatic Peeling Salt. Oh how I love you, my dear Anubis, for creating a scrub that is so deliciously oily and perfect. I've mentioned that I have extremely dry skin, especially in my legs, so I have to exfoliate at least once a week to make it smoother. This peeling is composed by aromatic plants and marine salts from the mediterranean coast. What makes it so special is that it contains so many nourishing oils: almond, sunflower, rosemary and chamomile, leaving your skin extra smooth even before moisturizing.

Tips. In the shower, try to wash first and exfoliate last, since you want to maintain that velvety and smooth feeling on your skin. Trust me, you will hardly need to apply lotion and for me this is so amazing, since I normally use both oil and bodymilk. It's a biphasic product, so you have to mix the liquid part and the salt before applying. Be careful not to use up too much of the oil phase (it can be tempting) because then it will be a little dry and not so easy to exfoliate with. If this should happen, you can put some essential oil like almond to get the texture right again.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Ok, so we've been talking about trends, and we KNOW that this one, pastels and neon are totally dominating stores. I didn't think I was going to get so much into the tie dye phenomenon, but I have to confess I've succumbed. That's why I decided to write a little bit about it - even though everyone has talking about it - so we can get where the inspiration comes from.

Ashley Tisdale and Hayden Panettiere have also signed up for the trend.

Ashley Tisdale y Hayden Panettiere también se apuntan.

Bloggers are also manifesting their homage to tie dye.

Las bloggers también hacen su homenaje al tie dye.

You can find many items that fit this trend. I myself like the denim tie dye better, and I confess I've bought both jeans and shorts (these last ones are my favorites, the Bershka ones with spikes shown below ).